Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a cramped flat connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, links have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The company remains operational. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts argue the saga highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

Both list the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and controlling UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.